Noticia nº28.316

/noticias.info/ Baghdad, Iraq – A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to the MNSTC-I received a Purple Heart, Nov. 15, for wounds received in action Nov. 14, 2004.

The Soldier, Col. James H. Coffman Jr., received wounds to his left hand and arm during a five-hour battle with anti-Iraq forces. While responding to an attack against an Iraqi police station as an advisor to an Iraqi Commando Battalion, Coffman and the quick reaction force were ambushed 100 meters from the police station by a fortified and heavily armed enemy. During the attack Coffman continued to advise the Iraqi team despite direct small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire, sustaining his wound while leading the team to suppress the enemy action.

MNSTC-I Commanding General, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus presented the award in a ceremony at Phoenix Base inside the International Zone. MNSTC-I is tasked with training, equipping and mentoring the Iraqi military.

“Col. Jim Coffman has been an inspiration to all with whom he has soldiered – coalition and Iraqi alike,” Petraeus said. “His courage, example, and leadership during a tough three-and-a-half-hour battle, despite sustaining a serious wound, exemplified the qualities essential to defeating the insurgents. His performance was truly inspirational. Equally impressive, after the battle, he fought to stay in theater following surgery, when the doctors were going to have him evacuated to Germany. He is a true hero, and he and all our Advisor and Support Team members have proven enormously important to the Iraqi elements with which they serve.”

The Purple Heart was established during America’s Revolutionary War, Aug. 7, 1782, in Newburgh, N.Y., by Gen. George Washington and generally awarded to any member of the U.S. armed forces who receives wounds in action against an enemy of the United States.


18/11/2004